Troup County Georgia Militia Districts

Troup County Militia Districts

In the original plan of military organization of Georgia in operation when Troup County was created, the counties were divided into militia districts, each of which was required to have two hundred or more men capable of bearing arms and to have a militia muster at least annually for military training. Many of them mustered quarterly for such drills. New districts were permitted only when the population of districts increased to such an extent that the formation of the new districts would not deplete the old districts below the minimum of two hundred.

The formation of new districts was granted from the office of the secretary of state of Georgia, and they were numbered by that office in the order of creation throughout the state. Hence the smaller numbers are the oldest districts. The first three were formed in 1826 or 1827. The following are the present districts, the boundaries of which may be seen on the accompanying map of the districts, Georgia Militia Districts, (usually abbreviated G. M. D.) with the names and numbers.

655 LaGrange.

656 East Vernon.

673 Harrisonville.

697 Rough Edge, formerly Pleasant Hill.

698 Mountville.

699 O’Neal’s Mill.

700 Hogansville.

701 West Point.

735 West Vernon.

800 Antioch.

804 Long Cane.

805 McLendon’s.

1086 Pool’s Mill, created May, 1853.

1689 Salem, created April, 1910.

The names of these districts are suggested by the muster locality in all the districts but that of Rough Edge. The original name of this district was Pleasant Hill. In this district the momentous question of building the little courtroom, a small building about sixteen by twenty feet in dimensions, and the cost of lumber wherewith to build, were serious political questions. After the decision to build was reached, it was decided to submit to the voters the difference in cost of building the house with “Square Edge” or “Rough Edge” lumber. The election was ordered and “Rough Edge” carried a majority of the votes, and gave the new name of Rough Edge to the old Pleasant Hill district.

You can read up more about the specific Militia of Troup County in the following article.